Afraid to be Alone
by The One True Queen
Summary: Kena Black, an orphaned Dhampir rescued by Stan Alto and taken in at St. Vlad's, is happy; or so the consensus thought. The girl has been plagued by something that lures her into the wood at night only to release her traumatized in the morning... As her self-appointed protector, Stan will do anything to save the novice he'd come to love like a daughter from her biggest fears.
1. Frightened

Afraid To Be Alone

Chapter One:

Frightened

Stan frowned, groaning as he lifted his head from in between his knees. Grunting, he rolled his neck to get the cricks out and yawned. His ass hurt from sitting on the hallway floor since last night.

At first, he looked around, utterly confused as to why he was out here in the first place.

Right, he thought after a moment or two. Protocol.

Sighing heavily, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Last night… Frightening.

Lakena had woken him up b bursting into his room, wailing hysterically. Her hair had been matted with mud, dirt, and leaves and god knew the red tint was blood. Her clothes were torn to shreds and her skin was scratch and bleeding. The girl had scared Stan shitless.

She had been incomprehensive, delirious, and scared out of her mind. Kena had begged him not to make her go back outside, had pleaded relentlessly to stay with him where she knew she was safe from the monster.

Stan had gone to see Dr. Olendski, St. Vlad's leading physician of the Moroi and Dhampir, informing her that he would bring his novice over in the morning for a long visit. She had given him a prescription for Kena to help her sleep and sent the Guardian on his way to see Alberta.

"You know Protocol, Guardian Alto." Alberta had frowned before he had finished his proposal, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I don't want to leave her alone in the dorms anymore, Alberta. I don't know what the hell happened last night, but I know it was something terrible."

"Lakena is your novice, and I understand that you…care " Alberta said carefully, noticing Stan's scowl, "Yes, care for her. What you did last night was commendable and necessary, yes, but you cannot break protocol again, Alto. And you are not this girl's father, so…"

"Well, that's partly was I had planned on coming to you anyway. I would very much like to adopt her."


	2. Remembrance

Afraid To Be Alone

Chapter Two:

Remembrance

Lakena's eyes opened gradually, and she sat up slowly, looking around.

She remembered every single second of last night and began to shiver uncontrollably. Kena wrapped her arms around herself and moved to get out of the bed; but her legs were tangled up in Stan's comforter and she was pitched headfirst onto the floor.

"Ow!" she yelped, groaning as she sat up.

Stan stepped quickly into the room and, seeing er on the floor, sighed. He closed the door and went to help her up.

"Easy, Honey," he said softly, using his nickname for her, as stumbled again, and put her back in bed. "Sorry…" Kena mumbled, ducking her head. "I got scared and forgot where I was for a moment."

"It's alright." Stan nodded. "Did you want to go back "

"No!" she gasped, her face paling. "Please! Please, don't make me go back!" she whimpered and snatched away from him, crawling back across the bed until her back hit the windowsill.

"Stan, please! Don't make me go…"

Stan shushed her as tears sprang form her eyes as he pulled her back to him to hold her.

"You don't have to. I won't make you, Kena."

"Guardian Al "

Dimitri paused as he opened the door and frowned as he came into the room. His gaze turned cool as it intensified.

"What's going on here?"

Stan gave him a resigned sigh and a sober look.

"It's a long story…"


	3. The Summons

Afraid To Be Alone

Chapter Three:

The Summons

Her knuckles were snow white as she gripped Stan's hand. Kena knew she was squeezing too hard, (Stan had winced several times) but she didn't want him to be more than two feet away from her when it happened.

When _**he**_ came.

Rose shuffled her feet uncomfortably as she stared at Kena's face. Her friend was chalk-white and looked like Death-On-Legs; like she was going to pass out any second.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Janine and Abe stood behind Alberta with Rose, Dimitri, and a cluster of St Vlad's Guardians.

The Head Guardian hesitated before nodding. "We need to know what happened last night first hand."

"But pulling half the Guardians and Novices out here, away from the school?"

"Safety precaution. Lakena is afraid… of something, and Stan is afraid for her. The girl was brutally attacked last night, and we need to know who did it."

"By using her as bate, Petrov?" Abe asked with a growl, as though he were imaging Rose in Kena's place.

"Yes. Are you ready?"

"R-ready…" Kena shivered. Stan nodded to Alberta and hugged her tightly.

"I'll be right here. Promise."

"You ready, Beta unit?" Alberta demanded into the walkie she held.

The Guardians and Novices ringing the clearing nodded in unison and stepped back, disappearing into the tree line.

"I'm right here, honey." Stan said once again, and Kena watched fearfully as he too backed away into the woods.

The breeze picked up and Kena took a shaky breathe, pulling the hair out of her face. Trying to calm her breathing, she turned from the tree line to look out over the valley from the cliff, the moonlight casting a soft glow.

"I'm here, honey. No need to worry," Stan's reassuring voice came out her, and she nodded. She had this, and she knew it.

She opened her mouth to call out, but a force knock her flat onto her back.

Grunting and struggling to breathe, Lakena coughed as she pushed herself to her knees.

"Always on your terms; never mine." She stood up and rubbed her stomach where she knew there would be a bruise.

"But that will change, and soon." She gave a shudder and squared her shoulders.

We shall see.

Lakena blanched before spinning around to race towards the trees.

"RUN!"

"Kena!" Stan's shout echoed as he broke into a dead run.

"Stan!"

Alberta lunged her to Second, who lunged for his novice. Lakena shrieked as the thick trunk of a tree suddenly loomed over her that creaked as it was falling over.

Rose came out of nowhere and shoved her out of the way, sending them both farther into the field.

"Rose shit!" Dimitri moved to go after them, but just as Mason dashed past him, he was narrowly missed by a tree that came crashing down before Dimitri.

The Guardians were held back as the rest of the novices followed suit and gathered in the middle of the field as the trees came crashing down just shy of the tree line.

"Dammit! The novices are trapped!"

"Don't you mean we're trapped? They're the ones who rushed in like idio gugh!" a novice came out of nowhere and slammed into the speaking Guardian; both were sent sprawling into the brush.

"Oh my god!"

"Tyson! Hale!"

"Where the he gah!" another Guardian had been taken out by and an unconscious, air-borne novice.

Stan's heart beat faster and faster as he jumped up and vaulted the tree, Alberta at his side.

What they saw made them freeze, eyes wide with confusion and shock.

"What the _**hell**_…?" Alberta's voice was a mere whisper as she stared.

The Novices of St. Vladimir's were strewn across the clearing, unmoving and unharmed all unconscious. They all even looked… peaceful? And that wasn't even the weirdest part.

"They merely sleep, as my queen and her warriors do."

A tall, broad figure in a black cloak surrounded by many other tall figures in black cloaks stood just shy of falling back, off the cliff.

Rose and Mason lay tangled and unconscious at his feet, Lakena clinging to him with her head buried in his chest as she slept, a tear escaping the corner of the eye.

"What. The. F*ck."


End file.
